Diamond trader accused of cheating 500 home buyers in Mumbai arrested

Bhupat Lukhi is one of the three partners at Kashimira Ceramic Products LLP, which had been promoting a high-rise project in Mira Road’s Kashmira locality.Satish Nandgaonkar | Mumbai Mirror | October 10, 2017, 11:00 IST

MUMBAI: A diamond trader accused of cheating 500 flat buyers was arrested by the Thane police late on Monday night. Bhupat Lukhi’s Mercedes was intercepted at Bandra Kurla Complex amid reports he was planning to fly to Belgium on Tuesday.

Lukhi, 50, is one of the three partners at Kashimira Ceramic Products LLP, which had been promoting a high-rise project in Mira Road’s Kashmira locality. Tanvi Eminence, which promised 500 apartments, was started in 2010, but the construction stopped in 2013 because of a financial row between the partners.

There has been no progress since and the home buyers, who have paid 85 per cent of the property cost, fear they will lose all their money. Recently, they named Lukhi, diamond trader Dahyabhai Sutaria and advocate Vijaykumar Hegdes wife, Sangeeta, in a cheating complaint. It is one of the biggest such cases, Mirror had reported on October 6.

Senior inspector Venkat Andhale of Local Crime Branch, Thane (Rural), confirmed the first arrest in the probe. “We had specific information that Lukhi was going to fly to Belgium tomorrow (Tuesday). He has a house in Belgium. As there was an apprehension he may flee, we intercepted his car at BKC and placed him under arrest,” Andhale said. “He will be produced in a Thane court.”

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